Stevenson Dam repairs require road closure
MONROE -- A repair project on the Stevenson Dam will soon throw a wrench into the commute along Route 34.
The state road crosses the dam, linking Monroe and Oxford, and connecting the lower Naugatuck Valley towns of Derby and Seymour to points north, including Newtown and Danbury, will be shut down in both directions from May 2 to 5.
The roadway, which is owned by the state Department of Transportation, is being closed so that maintenance work can be done on the dam itself, according to FirstLight Hydro Generating Co., the dam's owner.
"In an effort to minimize the impact to the public, most of the work will be done throughout the weekend," FirstLight officials said in a written statement.
The road over the dam has been patched and repaved countless times since the 1920s, and a 1979 widening project closed it to traffic for about six months. But the biggest problem with the road over the dam is the geometry of its approaches, said Kevin Nursick of the state DOT. Nothing can be done about that except to build a free-standing bridge across the Housatonic, he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New chapter to New Fairfield's library
NEW FAIRFIELD -- After 15 years of planning and several false starts, construction began last week on the town library's first renovations since 1984.
Over the next several months, the building will be made accessible to the handicapped, energy efficient and more technologically advanced.
"They'll have a building that's totally accessible to everybody," said library Director Linda Fox, adding energy efficiencies will save money on utility bills.
The library will stay open during its normal hours during the project, but programs are canceled until the downstairs is completed in June, just in time for the summer reading program.
Parking will be limited and only the front entrance will be open for the first two months. Fox recommends patrons visit in the evening or on weekends when Town Hall is closed and more parking is available.
Highlights of the project include installing an elevator and automatic doors; widening hallways and bathrooms; improving the wiring for the computers and phones; and renovating the children's library and program room in the basement. New doors, windows, lighting, heating and cooling will be installed to make the building more energy efficient. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Darien selectman OK $60M in bonds
With an eye to making the most of the town's bond rating, the Darien Board of Selectmen voted recently to approve up to $60 million in bonding to pay off the town's debt at lower interest rates if the opportunity arises in the coming year.
The financial maneuver has saved the town millions of dollars since 2008, when the town began preapproving an upper limit for refinancing bonds, officials said.
"It enables the Board of Finance to refinance any sort of debt and it has saved us millions of dollars in recent years," Selectman Gerald Nielsen Jr. said.
While the town has no specific designs on issuing the bonds right now, Town Finance Director Kate Clark Buch and First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said approving the upper limit in advance allows the town to move quickly when it spots an opportunity to refinance debt.
They said refinancing bonds in recent years has saved taxpayers millions in interest costs and is part of a strategy to keep the town on a stable financial footing.
The practice began in 2008, when a proposal to issue refinancing bonds couldn't get the necessary town approvals in time to take advantage of the lower interest rate, Buch said.
"It allows us to take advantage of the market and react quickly, should a refunding opportunity come up," Buch said. "If we waited until an opportunity came up to pass the authorization, we run the risk of the market turning and losing that opportunity before we can get through the whole process of getting a refunding authorized."
The town most recently took advantage of the markets when it issued $33.6 million in bonds to refund $35.2 million in bonds before their maturity, resulting in $4.58 million in reduced interest payments. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Waterbury riders will transfer at temporary station
MILFORD -- Metro-North Railroad's temporary Devon station, which will be in use from May 4 into early October, is exactly that: temporary.
The open-air platform sits at the Y-shaped junction of tracks where the Waterbury Branch meets the main New Haven Line. There's no canopy, no restrooms, no ticket machines and no parking.
The state's Rail Transportation Plan, covering 2012-16, mentions a permanent Metro-North station in Devon, but this is not it.
But the two, four-car-length platforms -- one on the branch and one on Track 3 with a walkway connecting them -- are a key piece of a major upgrade to the Waterbury Branch.
Interim repairs to the 110-year-old, four-track Devon bridge spanning the Housatonic River include improvements to Track 3, the inbound local track, taking it out of service and requiring the temporary transfer point.
There are no restrooms because there are restrooms on all trains, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said. "No ticket machines because everyone who will be making a transfer already has a ticket. There is no parking because there is no access to the station from anywhere but a train," she said.
Although Waterbury Branch passengers normally switch trains in Bridgeport, the Devon transfer allows passengers to board their connecting trains before the bridge, bypassing the closed track. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Public hearing on widening I-95/84 today
The General Assembly's Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee on Monday will hold a public hearing on legislation authorizing $2.8 billion in bonding to design and plan a variety of highway and rail improvements.
The bill is one of the first steps in Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's $100 billion, 30-year vision to improve Connecticut's roads, bridges, highways and rail systems. The money would be spent from 2016 to 2019.
Projects that would receive the money include widening Interstate 95 between Stamford and Bridgeport, widening Interstate 84 between Exits 3 and 8 in Danbury, reconfiguring the Route 7 and Route 15 interchange in Norwalk, repairing the Wilbur Cross Parkway's West Rock Tunnel, designing a new dock yard for Metro-North's Danbury Branch and designing a pedestrian bridge in Stamford on Metro-North's New Haven Line.
Also on the agenda is a bill that would establish registration fees for sellers and makers of electronic cigarettes. The public hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Room 2E of the Legislative Office Building. The committee deadline for action this year is May 1. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Norwich Free Academy plans summer construction projects
Norwich – There won’t be any scaffolding decorating Norwich Free Academy this summer, but the campus will be busy with about $600,000 worth of capital projects that might include adding air conditioning to Alumni Gym.
Harry Hansen, director of facilities at NFA, presented several proposed projects to the Board of Trustees last week, highlighted by roof replacement and ventilation work planned for the Tirrell Building cafeteria roof and Alumni gym.
Head of School David Klein said NFA officials tried to keep the summer projects to under $600,000, and Hansen’s initial list totaled $575,750. But when trustee Chairman Theodore Phillips asked if the roof replacement and ventilation work on the Alumni Gym included air conditioning, and found out it did not, he asked the board to add up to $40,000 to the budget, for a total of $615,000. The board agreed.
Hansen said air conditioning could cost $30,000 to $40,000 and agreed to obtain prices for the work and to contact Norwich Public Utilities for possible rebates on energy efficient systems. Without the air conditioning, replacing the gym roof was estimated to cost $165,000 and the new air handling system for heating and fresh air circulation was estimated at $80,000. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Projects are bustling in Montville
Several projects related to business growth are in the works in Montville, Mayor Ronald K. McDaniel said. Among them is an 80,000-square-foot indoor sports complex under construction in the Lombardi Business Park off Route 85. "They're in full swing, the steel's all up," McDaniel said. "Hopefully they can still meet their target to open, probably in late fall." Montville Auto on Route 32 recently opened, and McDaniel said the town is looking for economic activity in two nearby vacant spots - the site of a former Cumberland Farms and a Bank of America branch that closed. In addition, the town has approved two mixed-use projects on Route 32 near Dime Bank. "They're going to consist of two commercial units and 26 rental apartments," he said. Construction is scheduled to start in the summer, he said. Along Route 85, phase two of The Past Antiques Market & Museum at Nature's Art Village is under construction. It will be part of the existing 14,000 square-foot antique store and attached Gateway Museum. "That's going to have antique machinery and tools part of the facility," McDaniel said. "It's a really unrecognized gem in Montville." Montville and the surrounding area also stand to benefit from large-scale construction activity by the Mohegan Tribe in the next year. The tribe announced early this year that it plans to build and open a new 400-room hotel tower. The $120 million project is expected to be complete by fall 2016. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE